Still Alice: In A Nutshell (Adult)

A lot of my reviews have been quite lengthy, so I thought I'd start doing some that are more like mini-reviews. Basically, summing up the book and my opinion of it in a nutshell!


Still Alice by Lisa Genova

One sentence sum-up: The story of a woman who loses a bit more of herself each month as she struggles with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.


My reaction: This book made me tear up, it was that sad and frightening and so well-written. You feel like you're losing your memory right along with Alice, and it's one of the scariest things you can imagine.


If I could change something... Well, this is minor, but the part about Alice's "Butterfly" plan was rather confusing, so a bit more clarity there would be nice.

In a word: heartwrenching.

Shooting stars:

Quote: 

"I miss myself."
"I miss you, too, Ali, so much."
"I never planned to get like this."
"I know."


Recommend for: anyone interested in psychology, especially memory, and anyone who has had someone close to them afflicted with Alzheimer's.

Author's website: www.lisagenova.com

Note: this is an adult book and while I don't recall much material I would consider "inappropriate" for a YA audience, the tone and subject matter would be best appreciated by older readers.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (7)

This meme is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey and showcases the books we recently read, are currently reading, and are planning on reading soon!

Well, this past week I read Still Alice by Lisa Genova, Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman, and Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James (review here).

Right now I'm almost done Chataine's Guardian by Robin Hardy, and I have moved a few pages further into Little Dorrit.

Up next? I really don't know. There's a few books I've started that I should really keep going on, including Polly Shulman's The Grimm Legacy, Sarah Addison Allen's The Sugar Queen, and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. So possibly one of those! And of course, I will try to keep chugging away at Little Dorrit (I don't anticipate I will be done that one anytime soon!)

What are you reading?

Award: Life is Good!

First of all, thanks so much to Danielle of Every Last Page for giving me this award! I really appreciate it.
 
Rules: 

To accept the award you must link back and thank the person who gave you the Life is Good Award and then answer the ten survey questions. Then you can pass it along to other blogs.

 

I'm passing it on to the following bloggers, because they are always dropping on by to comment and because their blogs are generally just awesome :)

Amber at Down The Rabbit Hole

Stephanie at Books are a Girl's Best Friend

Tina at Book Couture

Now, my answers to the following questions:

1. If you blog anonymously are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?

I guess I’m semi-anonymous? I do value my privacy so there’s some personal info I don’t include on here. But I’m happy with how it’s been so far!

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side:

I taught in Japan for a year and there were several times when I was tempted to give up and go home. But I persevered and I’m glad I did, because I have so many cherished memories of my time there!

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?

Well, most people aren’t totally satisfied with their appearance, but on the whole I’m fairly pleased. Unless I’ve just gotten out of bed or something (but really, who does look good then?)

4. What is your favourite summer cold drink?

Hmmm…well, my all-time favorite drink is rootbeer, and it’s still good to have during the summer! I also sometimes like shandies for hot days (beer and ginger ale combined).

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

Play guitar! I love to sing and write songs. Also creative writing. And, um, of course, reading!

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?

For sure – the number one thing being that I want to figure out what I want to do with my life! Haha, I’m in one of those career path transitions at the moment, but right now I’m thinking about going into editing/publishing.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever , the shy person, or always ditching?

Shy overachiever – does that count?

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment of your life what would you see?

Well, not sure how poignant this is, but when I found out I’d been accepted as an Assistant Language Teacher and would be going to teach English in Japan for a year, I was pretty ecstatic!

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

I think my genuine opinions come through pretty clearly in my reviews and other posts, but I do tend to like to stay on topic rather than delving into purely personal things.

10. If you had the choice to sit down and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?

I really hate talking on the phone (especially calling up people I don’t know) so definitely, definitely reading. No dilemma there!

Forget-Me-Nots: The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles

This is a feature on my blog for highlighting books I enjoyed in childhood and the teenage years that I don't see getting much attention nowadays.

This week's pick:

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards

This book has officially the most awesome title ever. Seriously.

Also, it's written by Julie Andrews. That's right. THE Julie Andrews. From the Sound of Music.

Review from Amazon.com:

"What on earth is a Whangdoodle? A "fanciful creature of undefined nature," it was also once the wisest, kindest, most fun-loving living thing in the world--until people stopped believing in it. When that lack of faith became widespread, the last of the really great Whangdoodles created a special land full of extraordinary creatures: furry Flukes, the sly High-Behind Splintercat, and the wonderful Whiffle Bird. But when an open-minded professor--the one adult who still believes in the Whangdoodle--joins forces with three children with active imaginations, they become an unstoppable team on a fantastic and sometimes terrifying journey to Whangdoodleland.

Readers who have explored Narnia, Oz, or Willy Wonka's chocolate factory will be thrilled at this new destination--a marvelous land that will inspire and stimulate creative and scientific minds. And who better to expose young readers to new ways of seeing, smelling, and hearing than Julie (Andrews) Edwards of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music fame? Her lively and clever style pulls readers along effortlessly; she, like the professor, is one grownup who can teach children never to close their minds to possibility."

Pure and simple, this book is all about imagination, creativity, and believing in what everyone else thinks is impossible. There are so many fabulous make-believe creatures in this book! It is aimed at middle-grade readers (ages 9-12), and the kids do learn some 'lessons' throughout the story...but you can't help but love the Whangdoodle (and the Whifflebird!!)

Anyone else enjoy this book when they were younger?

Book Blogger Hop (8)

Time for hopping! This fabulous meme is hosted by Crazy For Books, and this week we're supposed to choose a favorite post/review...tough decision!

I think I'll go with my review of Nothing by Janne Teller, because it was a really thought-provoking read and I thoroughly enjoyed writing a review of it.

Hop on by!